ACOSTA, NOEL MART Q.

BSCRIM 3A

CCJE FORENSIC 4: QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS EXAMINATION

MODULE 4

ENGAGE

1. Identify significant names who study and develop invisible inks.

- Write their names and their contribution

ANSWER : Invisible ink, also known as security ink or sympathetic

ink, is a substance used for writing, which is invisible either on
application or soon thereafter, and can later be made visible by some
means. Invisible ink is one form of steganography.
Invisible ink can be applied to a writing surface with a specialty
purpose stylus, stamp, fountain pen, toothpick, calligraphy pen, Cotton
swab, or even a finger dipped in the liquid. Once dry, the written
surface looks as if it were blank, with a similar texture and reflectivity
as the surrounding surface.
The ink can be later made visible by different methods according to the
type of invisible ink used. The ink may be revealed by heat or by
application of an appropriate chemical, or it may be made visible by
viewing under ultraviolet light. Inks which are developed by a chemical
reaction may depend on an acid-base reaction (like litmus paper),
reactions similar to the blueprint process, or any of hundreds of others.
Developer fluids may be applied using a spray bottle, but some
developers are in the form of vapor, e.g. ammonia fumes used to
develop phenolphthalein ink.

EXPLORE

1. Describe the profession of chemists and discuss their

participation in the
identification of ink.

ANSWER : There are probably as many different definitions of ink as

there are types. Perhaps the simplest description is that ink is a liquid
or semi-liquid material used for writing, printing or drawing. Chemists
view it as a colloidal system of fine pigment particles dispersed in a
solvent (Chem. Br., February 2003, p28). The pigment may or may not
be coloured, and the solvent may be aqueous or organic.
The earliest black writing inks, developed before 2500BC, were
suspensions of carbon, usually lampblack, in water stabilised with a
natural gum or materials like egg albumen. Modern ink formulations
are rather more complex. In addition to the pigment, they contain
many other ingredients in varying levels. Collectively known as
’vehicle’, these additional ingredients include pH modifiers,
humectants to retard premature drying, polymeric resins to impart
binding and allied properties, defoamer/antifoaming agents to
regulate foam efficiency, wetting agents such as surfactants to control
surface properties, biocides to inhibit the fungal and bacterial growth
that lead to fouling, and thickeners or rheology modifiers to control ink
application.

EXPLAIN

1. Why is it important to discover concealed writings?

ANSWER : Examination of concealed writing is often a challenge for

forensic document examiners. Although the published literature
describes many techniques, these are often only successful when the
writing has been concealed by pencil, pen, or by spreading inks of
different tint or by smearing of the writing with colored fluids. When
black pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape is used, these procedures
are ineffective. The present report describes the use of a straight chain
hydrocarbon to remove the PSA tape and allow a comparison of the
concealed writing with that of a suspect. The use of the solvent had no
observable effect on either the writing or the substrate. The procedure
is rapid and easy to use and is also effective with other colored PSA
tapes.

ELABORATE

In your own words, what do you understand of alterations? Discuss

briefly and
set an example and attach a picture.
ANSWER : a change, usually a slight change, in the appearance,
character, or structure of something: Several police officers are being
questioned about the alteration of the documents. The house needed
extensive alterations when we moved in.

EVALUATE

1. When there’s an act purposely done on an instrument by a

party thereto or one
beneficially interested therein which effects a change in the sense
or language of the
instrument, there is?
a. Forgery
b. Obliteration
c. Erasure
d. Alteration

ANSWER : C

2. When there is a change made after execution of a document and

without the consent of
the other party, what is present?
a. Alteration
b. fraudulent alteration
c. obliteration
d. erasure

ANSWER : A

3. Peter made an abolition of a content of a certain document

without
remaining in the affected portion to a particular part of document
by
wiping out to non-appearance.
a. Alteration
b. Erasure
c. Obliteration
d. Eradication

ANSWER : B

4. What is another term for watermark-

a. Logo c) Trade mark
b. Dandy roll d) Replica

ANSWER : A

5. Is the process of removing an ink strokes through the use of a

chemical
reagents capable of bleaching an ink.
a) efface c) mechanical erasure
b) chemical erasure d) ink eradicator

ANSWER : B